tongue twister

American  

[tuhng twis-ter] / ˈtʌŋ ˌtwɪs tər /

noun

1. a word or sequence of words difficult to pronounce, especially rapidly, because of alliteration or a slight variation of consonant sounds, as “She sells seashells by the seashore.”

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tongue twister British  

noun

1. a sentence or phrase that is difficult to articulate clearly and quickly, such as Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper

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Usage

What else does tongue twister mean? Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear—try saying that three times fast. This and other tongue twisters are words or phrases that are difficult to pronounce, often deliberately so and due to lots of similar sounds.How do you pronounce tongue twister?[tuhng twis-ter]

Etymology

Origin of tongue twister

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

“The curly tips of unfurled fern fronds. It makes an excellent tongue twister, doesn’t it? Unfurled fern fronds! Unfurled fern fronds!”

From Literature

“It sounds like a tongue twister. Introduce yourselves as one of the families, and get that name recognition.”

From Los Angeles Times

It's like a tongue twister, almost, because you're working two sides of your body at once.

From BBC

They limber up their lips with a tongue twister.

From Literature

"The tongue twisters, words with muted letters, words that we have to curl our lips to pronounce: these things are very difficult for us", Loc says.

From Reuters